Ashe
by Luneve
Summary: Nestled in the tall grass near a clump of sky-blue forget-me-nots was a young woman with hair as white as the clouds overhead. Long, snowy eyelashes cast shadows on her unhealthily pale cheeks and her pastel pink lips curved downwards at the corners to form a peaceful little frown. It was this moment that the invisible threads that unite us formed around the unsuspecting girl.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! So I just started playing Fire Emblem Awakening last Tuesday and I'm absolutely addicted. I decided that I'd write a fanfiction that followed the main events of the story but with a different spin on things. I'm likely to weave in and out of the plot-line, though for this first chapter I feel I've stayed pretty close to the actual dialogue. I didn't model My Unit after one of the presets really though I suppose her hair is sort of close to the fifth preset for the medium build female if it were wavy instead of spiky. This story will probably be another Chrom x Avatar story, which I know is done to death, but I don't plan on making it too obvious until later on. I might even just change my mind and pair her with another guy; I'm not sure. I'm playing the game now so I'm kind of just going by which character I think would mesh the best with my character. Enjoy!**

Lissa sighed, glancing around as she trailed behind the never-weary Frederick and her older brother. Her feet likely had blisters the size of the fat bumblebees buzzing around the meadow they were passing if the intense pain she felt was anything to go by. She was the one who had insisted on coming along on her brother's walk though, so she bit back her complaints and wallowed silently, hoping that by some miracle the two men would decide to take a break.

As if Naga herself had heard the princess's prayers, Chrom stopped abruptly and gazed out across the lush field to the group's left. Lissa turned her head as well to try and glimpse what had caught her brother's attention, but all she saw was grass intermingled with the odd daisy or lady slipper that stretched all the way out to the horizon. Lissa knew Chrom wouldn't be interested in the flowers-that was usually her sort of thing, though at this time she wasn't in the mood to admire the cheery flowers.

"What is it milord?" asked Frederick, politely breaking the silence.

The blue-haired prince unwittingly ignored his knight, stepping into the knee-high grass of the meadow and taking long strides away from the road.

"Milord?" Frederick repeated, immediately following after his charge. Lissa rolled her eyes at Frederick's typical overbearing antics but followed all the same. Her brother didn't make a habit out of taking detours into random fields so whatever reason he had must've been good…that or the pressure of his princely duties had finally driven him insane.

It took Lissa a bit longer to reach her brother than it did Frederick due to her aching feet and the two were already engaged in some serious-sounding conversation when she finally was in range of their voices.

"-sworn I heard something," explained Chrom.

"I did not hear anything milord; perhaps you've over-worked yourself lately. Come, we must get you to bed this instant. There's a town not far off if my memory serves me correctly," said Frederick.

Lissa tuned out partially when Frederick the mother hen began fretting over her brother. The meadow was quite peaceful-not breathtaking like the gardens back at the castle, but simple and comforting. She continued to gaze about herself when she noticed a black object that stood out against the green background. Curious, she made her way over to the object and, upon realizing what it was, shrieked loudly.

Chrom and Frederick came running, both with their swords drawn and ready to fight whatever manner of monster that had scared the young princess. Upon finding no such monster, the two sheathed their swords and Frederick launched into a lecture on decorum. Chrom on the other hand quickly discovered the cause of his sister's screech and motioned for Frederick to be silent.

Nestled in the tall grass near a clump of sky-blue forget-me-nots was a young woman with hair as white as the clouds overhead. Long, snowy eyelashes cast shadows on her unhealthily pale cheeks and her pastel pink lips curved downwards at the corners to form a peaceful little frown.

"I-is she dead?" asked Lissa, eyes wide with fear. Frederick gently pulled the princess to the side, away from what he assumed to be a fresh corpse. Such sights were not fit for a young lady.

Chrom leaned in closer to the young woman, carefully scanning for any signs of life. Just as he was reaching for her thin wrist to check whether or not she had a pulse, he heard the faint sound of air being inhaled and exhaled.

"She's alive!" he exclaimed, checking her pulse for good measure and feeling the soft thud of blood coursing through a very much alive body.

Lissa broke out of Frederick's grip and dashed to the other side of the young woman, already pulling out her staff in case she was hurt in some way.

In response to Chrom's touch, the young woman's eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal a pair of clear blue-gray eyes that reminded Lissa of the large, dark rain clouds that always foretold a particularly nasty storm.

"Are you alright?" Lissa blurted out.

The young woman nodded, the waves in her hair bouncing as she did so. Slowly, she proceeded to prop herself up on her forearms and rested for a moment.

Chrom, who had been silent since she opened her eyes hurriedly stood and offered her his hand. A small smile graced the woman's lips and Lissa found herself smiling as well. The young woman couldn't have been much older than the princess, mostly likely in her very early twenties. Relief surged through her as she realized that the woman was not injured.

She took Chrom's hand without hesitation and allowed herself to be pulled to feet, upon which she stood at around the same height as Lissa. Color was returning to her features now and Lissa realized the young woman was actually quite pretty. Her hair and eye color were slightly unusual, but they somehow added to her strange beauty.

"Thank you…Chrom," she said softly, withdrawing the hand that was still caught in Chrom's grasp.

"You're welcome," he replied with a warm smile.

"You should be more careful where you take your naps; we thought you were dead for a moment there!" Lissa chided playfully. The young woman grinned sheepishly.

"What's your name?" Chrom questioned.

The young woman opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion and she frowned. "I-my name is…I don't remember," she said, eyes widening with the realization.

"That's odd; you know my brother's name but not your own?" asked Lissa.

"I suppose so," she said, still looking troubled. She glanced down at the ground and caught sight of a mysterious marking on her right hand. It was crimson in color and resembled six menacing eyes that seemed to stare back at her. A wave of unease washed over her and she tucked the hand in one of her cloak pockets to remove it from sight.

Frederick had been silent for a while and now took it upon himself take action against the mysterious and potentially threatening stranger. He pushed Chrom and Lissa behind him and held the point of his sword the young woman's neck.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice harsh, "and how do you know milord?"

To her credit, she didn't look particularly threatened by the sword at her throat. In fact, she looked even more confused now. "Know him? I…don't know. I _don't_ know him. At least, I don't think I do; his name just came to me." She looked much more distraught at the thought. "Please, do you know me at all? Could you tell me who I am?" she asked, her expressive eyes boring into Chrom's light blue ones, pleading for him to give her answers.

Chrom frowned and felt a pang of sympathy in his heart. She looked so alone and confused; he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Meanwhile, Lissa's heart nearly broke seeing the desperation on the young woman's face. Even Frederick was affected and let his sword drop from her neck.

Lissa was quickly discovering that the young woman had an odd way of touching the hearts of others. Her emotions were almost magically contagious. Had she actually been a threat, which Lissa didn't believe she was, she wasn't sure if Frederick would have it in him to kill her, looking as she did now.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but this is the first time I've seen you," said Chrom with a grimace.

Her face fell and she closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out. When she opened her eyes once more, she appeared much calmer though Lissa doubted such a simple exercise could have relieved her much at all. "It's okay," she said.

"Do you truly have no recollection of who you are?" asked Frederick, still wary, though his tone was a bit kinder this time.

She shook her head. "I honestly do not."

"It sounds like you have amnesia or something," suggested Lissa, "I was just reading a book about it not too long ago. It could be caused by a head injury…but it doesn't _look_ like you have one. I've also heard that some sort of trauma can cause it."

"Miss, do you know any way to cure it?" she asked, eying the princess' staff hopefully.

Lissa frowned. "Sorry, most types of amnesia just sort of go away on their own…eventually."

"If it _is_ amnesia that is," Frederick muttered. Lissa shot him a look of disapproval.

Chrom ignored both of them and spoke once more to the young woman. "We're headed towards a town; I think you should accompany us. Perhaps someone there will know who you are."

"I don't mean to offend, but we have no proof that we can trust you, amnesiac or not," said Frederick.

"I understand, but would you mind pointing me in the direction of this town? I'd like to go there all the same, alone or not," she said.

"I would not have a confused lady wander this land on her own. There are many bandits about of late and it is our duty as Shepherds to see that our people are kept safe," said Chrom firmly. He often trusted Frederick's judgment, but this was one case where he was certain the over-protective knight was wrong.

Frederick looked thoroughly conflicted now, not wanting to go against his lord's words, but still suspicious of the stranger. Seeing his dilemma, the young woman spoke. "You may treat me as a prisoner if it would please you," she suggested.

"Frederick! There is no way she is dangerous! Come on, we're leaving before these two have a chance to debate this any longer," declared Lissa, grabbed the young woman's hand and tugging her back towards the road.

"Milady, wait!" called Frederick, dashing after the aggravated princess with Chrom following at a slower pace.

It became clear very quickly that Lissa was not about to change her mind and let Frederick do as he wanted, so the knight finally consented, resolving to keep a close eye on the mysterious woman nonetheless.

Lissa beamed at him and dropped the amnesiac's hand, turning eagerly towards her once more. "Now that that's settled, I'm Lissa! The worrywart over there is Frederick, and as you know, that's Chrom, my brother," she said, gesturing towards each member of the group in turn.

"Pleased to meet all of you," said the young woman with a smile, "you said you were Shepherds, right? May I ask why you're all armed to the teeth to guard animals?"

Lissa giggled and Chrom laughed as well. "It can be a dangerous job," said Chrom simply, "what about you? Do you think you have any experience fighting? I noticed you were carrying a tome."

She ran her fingers over the book at her side experimentally, hoping to evoke a memory. The tome felt well worn but she had no recollection of ever using the object in battle. Her fingers slipped from the tome and brushed another object, obscured from sight by the book. Intrigued, she wrapped her hand around it a bit too hurriedly and winced in pain.

Lissa gasped when she saw blood dripping onto the ground from a gash in the young woman's hand. She held a dagger about as long as her arm from the elbow down. She didn't notice she was still gripping the blade until Lissa pried her fingers away from it and began to cast a heal spell with her staff. The dagger clattered to the ground, but the young woman was hardly fazed.

"Ashe!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling the Shepherds, "my name that is. I just remembered it!"

**Thank you for reading! I'll try to get another chapter out soon. Please review! Oh, and as far as other pairings go, I'm completely undecided. If you have a particular pairing you like, please tell me and I'll try to squeeze it in here!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and follows! After seeing all that, I just had to get you guys another chapter before the end of the day! I hope you all enjoy it!**

"_Ashe!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling the Shepherds, "my name that is. I just remembered it!"_

Lissa continued to fuss over her wound but the young wo-Ashe's beaming smile took the severity out her chiding as a similar smile was rapidly appearing on the princess' own face.

"That's wonderful! Perhaps this means more of your memories will come back soon," said Chrom, sharing the amnesiac's joy.

Frederick scoffed, eyes trained away from Ashe's brilliant smile so as not to be taken in by it like his two charges. "Let us just hope that she is a friend to Ylisse."

"Ylisse?" Ashe questioned, cocking her head to the side.

"You must know of Ylisse," said Frederick, exasperated with the young woman's 'act.' "It is the ground you are currently standing on, ruled by the noble exalt, Emmeryn."

"Sorry, it doesn't sound familiar," said Ashe, still giddy that she recalled her name. "How far away is the town?"

"We should see some of the buildings on the horizon soon," Chrom replied.

Chrom's response was overshadowed by a sudden gasp from Lissa. The group turned to the cheery princess to see her pointing a shaky finger in the distance. Confusion quickly turned to horror as Chrom turned to see billows of black smoke rising in the distance where the town was supposed to be.

"Damned brigands!" he cursed. "Frederick, Lissa, let's go! Ashe, stay here and conceal yourself; it's not unlikely that some of the bandits will use this road to get away."

Ashe opened her mouth to protest his words but the blue-haired prince was already off and running, sword drawn and eager to cut down the ones responsible for the flames licking at the Ylissean town. Frederick followed after him in a manner of seconds after hoisting Lissa onto the back of his horse.

Deeply, yet inexplicably concerned for the town's wellbeing, Ashe sprinted after them, stooping to snatch her dagger off the ground as she ran. For all she remembered, this town could be her home! Perhaps she had family living there in one of those burning houses. Even if she didn't, the thought of innocent people dying, losing loved ones, spurred her on. Genuine emotion sprung forth from a natural well of human empathy inside this young woman.

When she arrived at the edge of the town, she heard the telltale clash of metal on metal that signified a battle. Without hesitating, she dashed off in the direction of the noise and almost ran into a middle-aged woman weeping hysterically in front of the charred remains of what must've been her home.

Ashe stopped and knelt to the ground next to her, placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Miss, you have to get out of here," said Ashe. The frenzied woman shook her head and continued to sob. "Miss, it's dangerous here, you have to leave," Ashe repeated a little more firmly this time. Once again the woman ignored Ashe's words, wallowing in her own misery.

Realizing that she didn't have time to aid the frantic woman, Ashe grabbed her hand and forcefully tugged her onto her feet. Before she could protest, Ashe was already dragging her out of the burning town.

The woman was screeching now as if the fire had scorched her body, but Ashe refused to let her go. The amnesiac did not see any other villagers around and assumed they had to have evacuated. The place was likely nearby, but Ashe was not familiar with the town and therefore had no notion of where it might be.

"Is there some place that your townspeople might gather during something like this?" asked Ashe.

"River," the woman managed to choke out, offering no indication of what direction this river was from where they currently stood. Ashe prompted her for more information, but once again the woman ignored her, sobs wracking her frail body.

After giving up on the woman for help finding the river, Ashe finally just picked a path that had more charred buildings than others and significantly less fire. In her hurry, she paid no attention to the sounds of battle becoming louder and louder as she ran.

She didn't realize until it was already too late that she was surrounded by bandits with no sign of Chrom, Lissa, or Frederick to aid her. The woman cried harder as the brigands advanced.

Ashe was sure she could get away on her own; she was small and fast, but the same could not be said for the middle-aged woman whose wrist she held in her hand. Time was running out and her chances of escaping were slimming by the second. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the woman behind her and drew her dagger and tome.

The bandits chuckled at her poor display of defense and one man-the man closest to Ashe with a mouth full of black and gold teeth-raised the crude axe at his side to end her forgotten existence.

"ASHE!" shouted someone in the distance, though the voice sounded little more than a whisper to her.

Fear coursed through her body and Ashe was overcome with the instinctive will to live, to cling to life like so many victims had before her. In her desperation, she clutched the handle of the dagger so tightly her knuckles turned as white as her hair. Just as the axe came down to lop off her head, she ducked and stabbed the man precisely in the area she knew to be home to one of his kidneys. It would only take him a few moments to bleed out.

It didn't strike Ashe as odd that a flood of knowledge in regards to fighting came back in that moment. She would have time to contemplate the 'how' and the 'why' at a later date; for now, she was had two lives to protect, hers included.

She ducked another man's blade and foreign words associated with magic rolled off her tongue reflexively. This second man fell to the ground after being hit by a bolt of lightning, blackened and dead.

The bandits were not interested in dying one by one, and so the group closed in Ashe, slashing and hacking, hoping to bite into flesh. Ashe noted with little amusement that the brigands were hardly seasoned warriors as she danced around their blades, slicing one with own blade and frying another with lightning. The thrill of battle coursed through her veins, terrifying and oddly addicting.

She excelled in this area. She sized up each man in an instant, knew how to find the chinks in his armor if he wore any, and predicted with a sort of sixth sense where the blows they attempted to land on her would, nimbly avoiding each of them.

After what seemed like seconds to the adrenaline-filled young woman but was likely much longer, the bandits lay on the ground around her, dead or bleeding out. The sight sickened her somewhat, but much less than thought that each of these men likely had a family and a reason for resorting to such violence. Perhaps one of them would've realized the error of his ways and continued on to live an honest life. She'd taken away that chance with her own blood-soaked hands, and it was something she would have to live with.

The sobs of the middle-aged woman brought Ashe back to reality and she grabbed the woman by the wrist once more. "Where is the river?" she demanded, praying the woman would give her an answer this time. Fortunately, the woman raised a shaky finger and pointed to a road that led to the west. Ashe nodded and pulled her along the road. As the two ran, the sound of rushing water became first apparent then loud and consuming; Ashe had never felt such relief.

True to her word, hundreds of people were gathered by the riverbed. Some cried, some raged, and others simply stood, watching their home burn with a look of dejected disbelief. A single person emerged from the crowd when Ashe and the woman arrived. It was a little girl with her curly chestnut-colored hair in pigtails and the sleeve of her light pink dress partially ripped off. Her large amber eyes watered for a moment before fat tears spilled over and ran down her chubby cheeks.

The tearful little girl ran up to the woman-her mother, Ashe realized-and clung to her skirts. In this moment, the older woman ceased her sobbing. Though her eyes were still red and tears tracks marked clean trails in her soot covered face, she held her daughter and stroked her hair, forgetting about Ashe's presence altogether.

As she watched the family's reunion, Ashe was filled with an intense longing, a need to be held and loved. She wondered if she had ever known such love in her forgotten past, but forced herself to abandon such thoughts. Her memories, for better or worse, were currently hidden from her, and there was little she could do to change that.

"Ashe!"

Startled, the amnesiac turned to see a figure in the distance, dashing towards her at full speed. The intense light of the fire cast deep shadows on the person, obscuring him from view, but Ashe felt her heartbeat quicken inexplicably.

Here was someone who knew her, who called out to _her_. With a smile that conveyed her unadulterated joy at the knowledge that she was known by _someone, _Ashe realized there was hope for her yet.

**Thank you for reading! I'll do my best to get another chapter out soon. I love reading what you all have to say, so please leave a review if you have the time. Also, last time I asked for your favorite pairings and got a bit of feedback. I just want to say that I will really take these suggestions into consideration, though it might not show immediately. Please keep that in mind if you recommend a pairing!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Just a heads up, I'll get at least one chapter out each week, possibly more depending on how inspired I am, but always one! I consider this a bit longer than usual but if you like the length I'll try to make more of them like this. Quick shout out to Youtube user AginoEvolutionHD, because I have been using his/her walkthrough to catch all the intricacies of the game. I'm far past the beginning of FE Awakening now in my own playthrough but tis not so in this story. I doubt that person is reading this fanfiction but if any of you want to like one of their videos for being such a great resource, that's awesome. Without further ado, enjoy!  
**

_Here was someone who knew her, who called out to her. With a smile that conveyed her unadulterated joy at the knowledge that she was known by someone, Ashe realized there was hope for her yet._

As the person drew closer, Ashe started to make out his features, namely the shock of wild blue hair that was plastered to his forehead with sweat from the heat of the fires. He did not mirror her smile. In fact, he looked quite irate with his lips pressed into a thin line and his blue eyes blazing.

Curious, Ashe ran to meet him, putting some distance between the townspeople and herself. It only took Chrom a few seconds more to reach the snowy-haired young woman and a mere second after that to catch his breath and begin yelling.

"Are you insane?" he demanded. Ashe, unprepared for his harsh tone, recoiled slightly. "I told you to stay put," he ranted, "and instead you ran in here, putting yourself in danger!" Ashe opened her mouth to disagree but Chrom fumed on, "not just yourself even! Endangering your own life is one thing, but you put an innocent woman in harm's way!"

Any argument she would've made died on her lips. Indeed it was foolish of her to run into a dangerous area alone when she had no knowledge of her own limits or abilities, but she couldn't just leave the mother there to possibly perish in the flames that devoured her house. She chose her words carefully, hoping to quell Chrom's rage, "I am sorry to have worried you. I will not act so irresponsibly again."

Chrom looked both placated and confused. With such a spirited younger sister, he wasn't used to hearing he was right often, even when he _was_ undeniably right. Of course, this odd feeling of satisfaction did not last for long.

"So let me fight with you," Ashe continued, her stormy eyes flashing.

The blue-haired prince opened his mouth to refuse her. It was his immediate reaction, yet he said nothing, biting his tongue to keep from speaking. He took a long look at her, noting the way her jaw was set, her stance was firm, and her eyes shone with determination. She was serious, and unlike many of the young men and woman who came to him with dreams of glory, she understood the fatal nature of battle.

"Alright," he said at last, "I left Frederick and Lissa in the middle of town earlier fighting some stray bandits; if you prove that you can truly hold your own in that fight, then I'll make you a part of the Shepherds."

She smiled and nodded, thankful for the opportunity, and he felt compelled to smile back, though the small moment shared between the two was cut short by a sudden shriek. The voice was familiar, and as realization dawned on the pair, Ashe met Chrom's eyes, clouded with fear.

"Lissa!" he shouted before bolting off in the direction of the shriek with Ashe following close on his heels.

The two arrived in time to see Frederick gallop past in a flash of metallic blue to put his silver lance through the chest of an axe-wielding brigand, simultaneously ending his life and saving Lissa's.

The blonde princess stared up at her savior from her spot on the cobblestone road with wide, sky blue eyes. As a fairly new member of the Shepherds, Lissa hadn't seen much action until today. She watched her brother or Frederick stop a fight or two, but such squabbles were insignificant; this was her first real battle and the first time her life had been threatened. Shock and fear filled her mind in equal parts and she was overcome with the urge to cry. She wanted to run far away, back to her beloved sister, and never have to see someone killed or feel death's icy hands on her own body again.

Chrom was at her side before the bandit's corpse hit the ground, checking her for injuries and assuring her she was safe now. Frederick dismounted and knelt beside her as well, speaking in a calm, soothing voice that she was not used to hearing. As a knight, he'd seen many young men and women like Lissa narrowly escape death. Such experiences always managed to wake those involved as if from a dream, a dream that they were invincible. Others would die, but death could not touch them, of course. It only took one incident, one tiny brush with death, to change their minds and make them realize their young lives could truly end at any moment.

Frederick was wise enough to know that his lady's reaction would determine her future as a Shepherd. He'd seen greater women drop their weapons permanently when faced with their own mortality, and he vowed to respect the young healer's decision.

The amnesiac watched Chrom and Frederick flock to Lissa's side with great curiosity. Unlike the skilled rider, this was the first time Ashe had witnessed another encounter death for the first time. She was at a loss to remember her own experience in spite of her best efforts to recall some tiny bit of her past. Had she too quaked with fear? Had anyone cradled her shaking body to provide much needed solace?

Such questions flooded her mind as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. Given her wealth of emotional knowledge, Ashe had very little difficulty empathizing with the other young woman, though as far as she knew, she no longer shared her feelings towards battle. In fact, unlike Lissa, she actually enjoyed the addictive thrill of a fight if her actions only minutes ago were any indication. Being brought so close to death made her feel more alive than ever, much to her horror. If she were not careful, she would quickly become obsessed with the feeling.

Ashe's cheeks colored with embarrassment when she realized how ridiculous her thoughts were. It was inhuman to revel in the feeling of taking another human's life, but she could not deny that the action of the moment, the necessary tactics, and the high stakes all resonated with the very core of her essence. As it were, some people are simply to test the limits of their existence on the battlefield, and whether she were conscious of it or not, Ashe was one of those rare entities.

While the amnesiac wrestled with her thoughts, the young princess broke from her terror-induced trance, suddenly desperate for air. After a few seconds of filling her previously useless lungs, Lissa reached out with a trembling hand for Frederick's armor-clad forearm. Frederick remained still as she used his arm as leverage to push herself onto her unsteady feet. Chrom shot up from his kneeling position and grabbed her shoulders to steady her, but Lissa shook him off.

Frederick slowly raised himself from the ground, and once he'd reached his full height, Lissa let her hand slip from his arm.

"Are you okay?' asked Chrom, shifting his weight from foot to foot. His sister was not prone to long bouts of silence and she was currently worrying him a fair amount. She had refused his help as well…all in all, he felt quite powerless.

Lissa took another deep breath to calm herself and then spoke. "I'm fine, just a little shaken. There are still some bandits in the town square; we ought to get over there before they're able to cause any more trouble."

"Lissa, I don't think-

"You are right, milady," said Frederick, interrupting a shocked Chrom, "if you'll allow me." The knight gestured to his horse. It wasn't often that he disobeyed the blue-haired lord, but on this particular occasion he would allow himself this tiny insubordination.

Lissa shot him a grateful smile and let herself be hoisted onto the back of the black mare. Frederick remained stoic as he mounted his horse as well but internally he was beaming with pride for his charge. It was his job to keep her out of harm's way and it would be much easier if she had decided to leave the Shepherds, but Frederick didn't find himself minding the extra challenge when he had such an admirable young woman to protect.

Chrom stood dumbfounded, watching his habitually obedient knight gallop off with his sister. Lissa was by no means a coward, but he hadn't expected her to recover so quickly from her shock and actually want to return to the fight. Like Frederick, he felt a certain amount of pride bubble up inside of him, but it was accompanied by a sense of dread and foreboding. Childlike, cheerful Lissa was rapidly changing before his eyes into a strong, young woman. Deep in his subconscious, he feared he would lose his innocent little sister in more ways than he thought possible before today.

A gentle hand on his shoulder roused him from his unhappy thoughts. He swiveled around, almost throwing the hand off in the process, and came face to face with the stormy-eyed amnesiac. She gave him an understanding smile and let her hand fall to grasp his own for a moment-just long enough to transfer some of her warmth-before she let it drop by his side.

"Come on, let's go help those two," she said, beckoning him to follow her as she dashed with lightning speed in the direction Frederick had galloped off in.

Chrom hesitated for a moment, wondering at the pleasant tingling in the hand Ashe had touched before he too took off to rejoin the fight. He was too proud to say anything, but he secretly wish she had lingered for a few seconds longer.

It would not due to dwell on such warm sentiments in the midst of battle, so he purged them from his mind, hoping to drown them in an ocean of other more pertinent thoughts and feelings. However, unbeknownst to the blue-haired prince, they would not remain submerged for long and would, in fact, rise to the surface on many occasions in the future.

* * *

It only took Chrom a few minutes to catch up with the three other Shepherds. Frederick was engaged with an axe-wielding bandit while Ashe stood off to the side fighting off two lance-wielding bandits with her small dagger. Before she'd had the element of surprise, but now she seemed to be having some difficulty. Without any concern for the danger, Chrom launched himself into the fight running one of the bandits through the stomach with Falchion and giving Ashe the chance to deftly slit the throat of the other.

Ashe was only given a few seconds of rest before she was filled with an odd sort of anxiety. "Chrom! Side-step to the left!" Ashe commanded. Without questioning, Chrom did as he was told just in time to dodge the axe that had come flying past where his head would have been. Its wielder had been crouched behind a pile of crates but now that his position had been given away, Chrom easily disposed of him. Ashe had sensed the axe-wielder long before he revealed himself.

"How did you know he was there?" asked Chrom, bewildered.

"I'm not sure…I feel like I can almost, I don't know, _sense_ the flow of battle and the enemy's strength," she explained, though she was just as mystified as Chrom.

"Do you think you're getting more of your memories back?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I suppose I must've learned this sort of sixth sense somewhere but it just feels instinctual right now," said Ashe with a sad shake of her head.

Chrom clapped her on the shoulder. "You'll get your memories back," he said with an encouraging smile, "just give it time. Until then, let's put that sixth sense of yours to work!"

Ashe nodded enthusiastically and helped Chrom fight through the rest of the bandits to a man named Garrick, who claimed to be their leader. He was a vile man with greasy orange hair, pulled back in a lopsided ponytail. His cheeks were covered with garish red war paint and the animal pelts draped over his shoulders reeked of death and fire. Barbaric as he seemed, he was still much stronger than the rest of his fellow bandits and Chrom sustained a few shallow gashes on his left side before Ashe ended the brigand's life with a well-timed thunder spell.

Lissa jumped off the back of Frederick's horse the moment the man hit the ground to heal her brother's minor wounds. "Wow Ashe! You were amazing out there! You're such a good fighter…er, sorcerer…wait, tactician? I guess you're all three, huh?" she gushed.

"Thank you, but without you and your staff I would probably be just a puddle of blood on the ground by now," said Ashe with a smile.

"It's a good thing you're not; the Shepherds don't have much for dead bodies," said Chrom. Ashe's smile grew wider when she picked up on the implication of the prince's words. Lissa beamed and even Frederick smiled a bit, or at least he did not protest quite so much as she might have expected.

"I won't let you down!" she vowed.

The joyful atmosphere only lasted for a bit until Frederick cleared his throat to gain the small group's attention. "Those brigands spoke with a Plegian accent," he said, his tone grave.

Chrom nodded, "so long as we can continue to beat them back we will avoid war, but we can't keep allowing them to terrorize towns like this." He gestured to the charred buildings around them. The flames had died down now without stimulation from the bandits, but most of the damage was already done.

"It's not fair at all!" Lissa complained, stomping her leather-clad foot, "I hate those dirty, rotten Plegians!"

"Um, excuse me, what are 'Plegians'?" asked Ashe.

"Plegia is Ylisse's neighbor to the west; they continually attempt to start wars with us, though they've been unsuccessful so far," explained Chrom, "and Lissa, not all of Plegia is at fault; you should not speak so generally of them.

"I know," Lissa muttered, stubbornly refusing to meet her brother's eyes. Chrom chuckled at her childishness and Frederick grinned as well, infuriating the young princess further.

"Milord," said a villager, whom Ashe recognized as one of the men that had stood by the river, "we thank you for saving our village and would be honored if you stayed and dined with us tonight. We don't have much, but we would gladly-

"Thank you for your kindness," interrupted Frederick, "but had we arrived sooner, we might have prevented this in the first place. Please, if you have any further trouble, contact the Shepherds immediately."

"R-right! We will! Thank you again," said the villager before running off once more.

"That was rude," Lissa said, crossing her arms, "it's getting dark; I don't see what the harm is in staying the night."

"We still have an hour or two of daylight. The closer we are to Ylisstol, the better. Besides, we can make camp as soon as the sun sets and continue traveling once it rises. Our journey will be much more efficient this way," Frederick reasoned.

Lissa pouted but knew it would be useless to argue with the rigid knight. Chrom laughed and Ashe found herself laughing as well. The journey was unlikely to be very pleasant with Frederick in charge, but they would definitely reach home quickly.

"You know Frederick, sometimes I hate you," complained Lissa.

"And I, you, milady." Lissa stared indignantly at the knight for a few soundless seconds before breaking out in a fit of giggles. Frederick joined in and Ashe looked on in confusion.

Noticing her bewilderment, Chrom leaned over and whispered in her ear, "this happens often. I believe it's their way of flirting." Ashe's cheeks turned a deep cherry red and the blue-haired lord found himself laughing heartily at the sight.

**Ah, I couldn't help putting some Frederick x Lissa in there. Like I said, I am definitely listening to what you guys say, but if I just immediately gave you what you wanted, well, where 's the fun in that? Huge thank you to Knowledgeseeker66 for your wonderfully detailed and thoughtful review. It truly made my day! I can't promise all the pairings you suggested will be fulfilled but, I will definitely get some of them in this story! **

**On a separate note, I'm pretty excited to finally bring some new characters into the story. I do adore these four but personally I'd like some more variety. I'm sure Sully and Virion will bring that.  
**

**Also, question of the day (not gonna be a regular thing): what is that song played during the cutscene in which the avatar wakes up? I know it's not serenity though it sounds like it, so what is it? Or is it not a full song? I have not found an answer thus far so I am turning to you, my dear readers!**

**Thank you for reading! Please review, because I love hearing back from you all, and have a great Sunday/rest of week!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait. I had three APs last week that I had to study for, so I didn't have much time for writing. Hopefully, you all will be pleased that this is my longest chapter yet. Sadly, Virion and Sully have not arrived yet. Next time for sure though, the Archest of Archers and the Bull will enter the story!**

**Without further ado, please enjoy!  
**

"Frederick, my feet are killing me!" Lissa whined, plodding along slowly behind the rest of the group.

"I offered to let you ride my horse," Frederick pointed out, gesturing to the black mare trotting next to him. Frederick rarely rode his horse himself outside of battle out of concern for the horse. She was strong, but he doubted supporting a full-grown man clad head to toe in armor was healthy for long periods of time. However, he would be remiss to let one of his dear charges suffer when he had the means to help. Secretly though, he was grateful his horse would get a break after supporting him for so long in the earlier skirmish.

"But it always makes my thighs so sore!" she complained.

"It is because you are inexperienced. Perhaps I should enforce riding lessons from now on," suggested Frederick.

Lissa's baby blue eyes widened. "No! It's fine! I love walking, see?" She took a few exaggerated steps with a large fake smile plastered on her face. Frederick was difficult enough as a caretaker of sorts, but the few times he became her teacher, for learning combat and other such skills, he was impossible. Lissa had puked three times in one day when he attempted to teach her how to wield a sword. Needless to say, Lissa's decision to heal, a skill that Frederick had no knowledge of, was not a coincidence.

"Wonderful, then you won't mind continuing for another hour or so," said Frederick. Lissa groaned and dragged her feet more than before as she walked.

Chrom and Ashe had been traveling side by side a little ways off from Frederick and Lissa-the princess was quite slow and Frederick naturally matched her pace. Ashe had asked numerous questions about Ylisse and the blue haired man swordsman had answered them in earnest. Chrom was used to discussing matters of his country after all the political meetings and gatherings he'd had to sit through, but he found talking with the beautiful tactician significantly more enjoyable.

She had a sort of spark in her and a way of making him feel as if what he was saying was the most intriguing thing she'd ever heard. It was a refreshing change of pace from the nobles who only listened half-heartedly with one ear when he spoke, sure their knowledge about whatever they spoke of was greater than his. Ashe dedicated her full self to whatever undertaking she pursued, whether it be fighting, strategizing, or simply talking. So often, Chrom felt he only got pieces of people at any given moment, as if the rest of them were off in another world, far away from him. He found it absolutely addicting to have someone so willing to engage in him completely.

It was an oddly selfish feeling for the usually self-sacrificing prince, but for that very reason, it was long overdue. If merely speaking to this enigmatic young woman, taking what she so effortlessly offered him, brought him such pleasure, why should he endeavor to stop?

However, enthralled as he was in speaking with Ashe, he realized it had grown so dark he could barely see the amnesiac, whose silvery hair caught the bit of light the eerie sliver of a moon gave off, a foot or so away from him.

"Frederick!" he called, turning to address the armor-clad man, "shall we set up camp for the night?"

"Right away, milord!" the dutiful knight called back, ignoring Lissa's exasperated huff.

The group strayed from the main road a little ways until they came to a fairly open area that would function well enough as a campsite. Lissa ungracefully plopped down on the ground and yanked off her boots.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed gesturing wildly at the large blisters on her feet.

"Milady ought to wear more practical shoes," advised Frederick. It was true, Lissa had chosen shoes that were more fashionable than they were comfortable, but that was the last thing she wanted to hear while in such pain. Not in the mood to argue any longer, she settled for sticking her tongue out at the knight and returning her attention to her aching feet.

Ashe smiled to herself as she watched the exchange. Frederick was certainly a stern man. She wondered idly if he had the capacity for sympathy, but abandoned this train of thought when her stomach growled, reminding her that she literally could not remember the last time she had eaten.

Frederick, who was standing closest to her, turned to gape openly. Deeply embarrassed, Ashe found herself blushing heavily. "I believe I could use some food," she said sheepishly.

"I should say so!" Frederick declared, "I have never heard a woman's stomach produce such a loud noise!"

Chrom and Lissa both laughed while Ashe blushed even harder, feeling quite undignified. "Right, well," she began awkwardly, "I think I'll go try to scrounge up something to eat."

"I'll go with you," Chrom volunteered once his chuckles had subsided. Ashe opened her mouth to thank him but Frederick interrupted her.

"Absolutely not. We still have no reason to trust you. I'm not about to let you start picking us off one by one," Frederick reasoned.

Chrom frowned at this. "Ashe fought bravely as Shepherd just a few hours ago; I believe she's proved she harbors no ill will for any of us," he retorted.

"Yeah! Ashe is nice; she wouldn't do anything!" Lissa cried in agreement.

Frederick shook his head and stood his ground. "I will accompany you," he said to the slightly baffled amnesiac.

"I thought you said you didn't want to give her the opportunity to take us down one at a time-no offense Ashe. If you're going alone, that puts you at risk, right?" asked Lissa, hoping to get the better of the stubborn knight.

Frederick pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and sighed as if he couldn't believe he had to answer such an unnecessary question. "I am more apt to deal with such risks," he explained curtly. Lissa threw her hands in the air and scooted a few feet away from the rest of the group. She just wanted a little peace and quiet at this point.

"Well, I'll gather firewood then," said Chrom.

"Milord, I would be more than happy to gather-

"Frederick, I am not an invalid; at least let me do this much," Chrom interrupted.

"Of course milord, I did not mean to imply that you-

Chrom cut him off with a laugh and waved his hand dismissively as he walked off into the forest to gather the afore mentioned wood for the fire. "Play nice you two," he called over his shoulder before disappearing into the shadow-painted forest. He was confident that if his stern caretaker simply spent a bit of time with the mysterious young woman, he would quickly understand why Lissa and himself had taken such a liking to her.

Ashe began to laugh but noticed Frederick's unamused expression and quickly disguised her chuckles by coughing a few times. The knight gave her a suspicious look and Ashe smiled sheepishly once more. She had a feeling she might never get on the stern man's good side at this rate.

Without sparing the amnesiac another glance, Frederick turned on his heel and stomped off into the forest. Ashe wondered if he would stop to wait for her, but figured she ought not take her chances. She dashed after the unrealistically nimble armor-clad knight and found him filling up a few canteens at a little pool.

It was an idyllic area. Bunches of wild flowers sprung up around the oval-shaped body of crystalline water. A few brightly colored dragonflies danced across the surface while a myriad of fireflies flickered their tiny lights on and off.

Such a scene typically would have brought some fraction of joy to the viewer, but Ashe found she could not appreciate its splendor. Instead, she was struck with an unsettling sense of foreboding that sent shivers down her spine. She looked around briefly, searching for the source of her sudden unease, but saw nothing save what was illuminated by the moonlight glittering off the pool.

"You are rather slow," he stated upon noticing her arrival.

"Sorry," Ashe apologized, grabbing one of the unfilled canteens and dipping it in the cool water. She wasn't sure what had caused her unease, but figured that if there was any real danger, the cautious knight would have sensed it as well. They worked in silence until Ashe's stomach growled loudly once more. Ashe readied another apology, but Frederick spoke before she could.

"You are a very irresponsible person, aren't you?" he asked, not bothering to face her when he spoke. Instead he remained diligently focused on the task at hand.

"Huh?" asked Ashe, almost dropping the canteen in shock that he had chosen to talk to her. She had expected complete silence from the man for the most part.

"When we found you, you were sleeping alone in an area known to ravaged by bandits, then you threw yourself directly into danger when you joined the fight in the village, now you're starving because you forgot to eat, and to top it all off, you did all of this while having managed to lose your memory," Frederick ticked off each instance of her foolishness as if reading from a list.

Ashe contemplated his words for a few moments and Frederick waited for his point to be disputed vehemently.

"I suppose I have been quite irresponsible," Ashe agreed at last, hoping not to start an argument.

Frederick paused and turned to look her in the eyes, a look of bewilderment eclipsing his normally controlled features. "Did you just…agree with me?" he asked, mystified.

"Well, yes," Ashe said, beginning to understand the cause of Frederick's confusion, "I hadn't given it much thought until you mentioned it, but I guess I am a bit of a reckless person."

It was strange for her to acknowledge one of her personality traits. Most people didn't spend much time thinking about what their actions implied about their character and she hadn't either, but there was some merit and doing as much. She was beginning to understand that losing her memories didn't change the person she was, or at least she didn't _think_ it did. She wasn't paying any special attention to how she reacted to situations and so on, but because of Frederick's comment, she realized her personality was contained in all these little actions.

The idea that simply living and acting in whatever way came naturally to her would reveal aspects of herself currently unknown to her comforted the amnesiac immensely.

Wrapped up in her thought, it took Ashe a few seconds to notice that Frederick was watching her intently, waiting for further confirmation that there was indeed a person who believed he was right.

Ashe smiled, though she was still turning the question of her personality over and over in her mind. "You don't hear that often, do you?" she asked.

"Milord and milady especially are not always so open to hearing what I've to say," Frederick admitted solemnly, fitting the lid on the last canteen and lifting himself effortlessly from the moist ground. It blew her mind to see how easily he moved in what had to be such heavy armor.

Ashe shifted to push herself up as well and was surprised to see a hand that dwarfed hers in size reaching out to her. She hesitated for a moment and then conceded, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

She opened her mouth to thank him but froze when she peered over his shoulder and saw what was behind him. It was a hulking creature matted dark brown fur and a predatory glint in its black beady eyes. It loped closer slowly, confident in its strength, and stared down the pale amnesiac.

"BEAR!"

* * *

Huge slabs of meat hung over a mediocre campfire, the flames licking at them and cooking the once fearsome beast. The four Shepherds sat in a semi-circle around the fire, basking in its warmth.

Ashe was animatedly telling the story of how the great Frederick slew the monster bear with one magnificent swipe of his sword while the story's hero attempted to choke down his defeated foe.

Chrom laughed and bit into his slice of meat with gusto, relishing the taste. He had always loved camping when he was young and had acquired a taste for wild game over the years. Unfortunately the same could not be said of his little sister or his dutiful knight. Ashe on the other hand, attacked her dinner with as much enthusiasm as the blue-haired lord, eager to put something in her stomach.

"Lissa, you should really eat something," Chrom chided between bites.

His sister huffed and shook her head. "I'll be fine with water, thank you very much!" she exclaimed, though her stomach growled in protest. She dearly wished that they had stayed in the town-at least they would have something vaguely edible! Who in their right mind ate bear? Her savage brother, that's who! She ignored Ashe's appetite for the disgusting meal, chalking it up to her intense hunger.

Revolted as she was though, Lissa found some pleasure in her brother's love for gamey meats. It was undignified, as most nobles prided themselves on being gourmets, and having a slightly imperfect brother was a nice change of pace. His common appetite wasn't much of a flaw really, but it made him seem more human to her.

It was ridiculous to think of Chrom as anything but human, but he was just so perfect all the time! He led the Shepherds by himself, performing above and beyond his assigned duties as their commander; he learned the language of politics to help Emm as much as he could and excelled after all the work he'd put into it; and, to top it all off, he had one the kindest and most courageous hearts she'd ever encountered, though she was loathe to tell him as much. Everyone loved him too-he was strong, fearless, charismatic-all the thing things a prince should be.

_He_ probably hadn't frozen up the first time he wandered to close to death, unlike her. _He_ never had to wonder whether he lived up to his title as prince, and he certainly never had reason to doubts he even deserved his station. In so many ways, he was perfect. And what was she? A little girl standing in the shadow of her two great siblings.

In order to bring out his bad side, Lissa would often argue with him and try to rile him up, but he would reply in kind with laughter and light-heated teasing. It frustrated her to no end that he was able to brush her off so easily.

Worrying her lip, Lissa vaguely realized that a relatively harmless observation had brought a deep-seated issue out of her subconscious to weigh on her troubled mind. Now was not the time to dwell on such matters. Besides, why was she complaining? She was being a spoiled princess. If she had time to conjure up all these numerous insecurities, she had time to become a person worthy of her title.

Chrom was oblivious to Lissa's internal struggle as he continued to munch on his dinner, but Ashe had a feeling something was slightly off with the typically spirited princess. She debated questioning her about it when she caught a slight movement out of the corners of her stormy eyes. It was fast and discreet, but Ashe just happened to be glancing in the right direction to catch it.

Frederick had reached out with a now ungloved hand, caught the princess' hand in his and given it a light squeeze before letting it drop back down by her side. The healer shot him a grateful look, but the stern knight was already outwardly occupied with polishing his spotless silver lance when she looked up.

A wave of guilt washed over the amnesiac and she diligently trained her gaze on the bits of left over bear meat on her plate. She felt as if she had seen something not meant for her eyes in that moment. It puzzled her really, that such a simple movement could make her feel so intrusive despite the platonic nature of the gesture. Or perhaps it wasn't as platonic as she first thought?

Ashe shook her head, as if the physical action might dispel these thoughts from her mind. Curious or not, it was not her place to intrude in the personal lives of the Shepherds, oddly familiar as they might be.

Familiar indeed, yet that was a thought best saved for a time when her body was not so exhausted. Ashe yawned and stood, garnering the small group's attention. "I think I'd best go to sleep," she said, stifling another yawn. She bid the Shepherds goodnight and retired to the peace and quiet of the small tent Frederick and Chrom had set up for her. Due to Frederick's paranoia, which remained even after their talk in the woods, she was to sleep alone on the far side of the campsite-the knight seemed sorry for it, but would not budge on the matter.

The amnesiac felt that she was beginning to understand the odd bunch she'd met that day, little by little, and so she knew not to be offended by Frederick's overprotective nature regarding Lissa and Chrom. In fact, she suspected the stern knight was warming up to her a bit. He was not nearly so vocal about his suspicions and actually complimented her fighting ability during dinner before critiquing her reckless nature once more.

Regardless of his opinion of her, Ashe quite liked Frederick. He was dependable and strong as far as she could tell and the world desperately needed men and women like him-people you could cling to when you felt all was lost and know that, if only for a short while, you were safe.

She smiled at the thought as she laid her head down on her makeshift bed. The Shepherds had not brought enough bedding for four people understandably, but Lissa had kindly taken some from each member of the group to make Ashe a modest and firm bed. Few layers separated her from the hard earth below her, but she was content.

As Ashe allowed herself to be encased in sleep's warm embrace, her last thoughts were of the blue-haired man she'd fought beside that day. In that odd stage of semi-consciousness, she thought she may have remembered something about the strangely familiar man, but by the time sleep finally took her, the memory had sunk back into a sea of forgotten moments, leaving only a small smile etched into her peaceful features.

* * *

The first thing Ashe noticed was the impenetrable darkness that clogged the room she was in. She attempted to ascertain something useful about her surroundings, but for some reason, she could not understand more than the simple fact that the ground was made of uneven cobblestone.

The reason for this became painfully apparent when Ashe felt her head begin to pulse. The pulsing increased in intensity rapidly and soon Ashe was dizzy with pain. Nausea set in shortly after and she struggled to keep down the meager portions of stale bread and murky water that she had been served earlier that day.

She was in a prison. She could see the bars now-metal, jagged, and unbreakable. She was absolutely alone here with no hope of escaping.

She tried to remember her crime, to find out why she'd been put in the awful place but soon the throbbing demanded all her attention, permitting her only to writhe in misery.

In desperation, Ashe clawed at her head, digging her nails into her scalp, desperately hoping to alleviate some of the pain. Sadly, the pain only intensified and with a scream, she threw herself onto the ground, tears creating clean pathways through the dirt that clung to her cheeks like a second skin.

The pain in her head pulsed in time with the beating of her miserable heart.

In a moment of timely insanity, Ashe concluded the only way to end the unbearable pain was to stop her heart. She was sure of it.

The words of a foreign language, long forgotten by all but those who practiced magic, rolled off her tongue and coalesced into a dagger of frightening electricity that sparked and hissed horribly.

The magic lit up the room and revealed that her cell was not quite as barren as she had first thought. Symbols marked the walls, the bars, the floor; every imaginable surface had the same design carved into it.

It was simple, but vile in its simplicity. Three eyes in a vertical line mirrored across an invisible asymptote. Six eyes in total, connected at the bottom by two jagged diamonds.

The symbol was dreadfully familiar but Ashe could not recall where she'd seen it before. Nonetheless, it struck fear into her very core.

It was a ghastly emblem. Why did it surround her? Had someone put it there? Had _she_ put it there?

It didn't matter. They were there, and they were horrible and they watched the way a beast might eye its prey. Unable to live with the feeling of all the eyes on her for one moment more, Ashe plunged the lightning dagger into her heart. Her agony and her life was over, save for the haunting laughter that drifted through the broken fragments of her consciousness.

* * *

Ashe woke with a start, coated in a slick layer of icy sweat. She clutched at the fabric over her heart and squeezed her eyes shut, but to her surprise, all she felt was her erratic heart beat pulsing through her body.

Slowly, she loosened her grip on her now wrinkled shirt and looked around in panic, expecting to see something that was never there. Disoriented, Ashe stuck her head outside of her tent and breathed in the fresh, chill night air.

It had the desired calming effect and soon Ashe was rational enough to contemplate her nightmare. The memory of it was rapidly fading. For what reason had she grasped at her heart? What had she expected to surround her? The answers to these questions were on the tip of her tongue, but retreating fast. All she could remember now was the sound of crooked, malicious laughter that made her quake with fear.

Knowing she would not fall back asleep after her horrific dream, Ashe slipped on her cloak and boots to take nighttime stroll. She was feeling much better now, but she reasoned that taking a walk might clear her head further and possibly help her remember her nightmare.

She gazed around the camp to see if any of the Shepherds were up at this ungodly hour before turning to the forest. She struggled in vain to remember anything about her dream, save that it had been horribly painful.

As she wandered further from camp, passing gnarled trees and sinister shadows, she recalled Lissa's words earlier that day concerning causes of amnesia. She'd spoken of trauma being a possible reason. Perhaps her dream was more than a simple nightmare; perhaps she was remembering her past. Horrible as it sounded to her, Ashe could not deny the possibility. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more sure she became. She'd dreamt of past, a life so horrific that her mind had forcibly repressed its existence.

She wasn't sure she wanted to remember her past anymore. In those first few moments after waking, she'd been so desperate to recall _something_ that when she named Chrom, she was overjoyed. Was Chrom a part of that awful past as well in some way? He hadn't seemed to recognize her, but perhaps he was lying. Perhaps they all were.

Ashe felt guilty for doubting the righteous Shepherds who, for the most part, had only been kind to her, but once she'd had the thought, she could not dispel it from her mind. What if the Shepherds were in some way connected to the people that had hurt her so much in the past.

If that were the case, maybe she ought to take the chance she had now and simply run away, far into the night and start a new life that would erase all unpleasant dreams and memories from her repressed mind.

Absorbed as she was in her thoughts, Ashe didn't notice that she'd been followed. Standing not far away but concealed by shadows, Chrom curiously watched the amnesiac.

He'd stayed up later than his knight and Lissa, watching over the fire and reflecting on the day's events. War with Plegia seemed imminent, though he knew his sister would fight for peace for as long as she could. He was not nearly so peaceful though. If there had to be blood on someone's hands to end the suffering of the innocent Ylisseans-and the king of Plegia was making it very clear there had to be-then Chrom would make sure it was his hands and not his sweet sister's. Emmeryn had already sacrificed so much for her country in order to prevent conflict, he would not let her turn around and go against all of her ideals when he was much more able. He knew she would not approve, but sometimes such steps needed to be taken and he was prepared to take the blame for the outcome.

As he wrestled with his thoughts, he'd heard movement from the far side of the camp and noticed a shock of silvery hair disappear into the ominous forest. At first he hadn't considered following her, figuring she needed to relieve herself or something of the like, but he was suddenly overcome by the urge to follow her. It was as if Naga herself planted the idea in his mind and pushed him to do so.

Without hesitating another second, Chrom had entered the forest after Ashe, intent on finding out the purpose of her nighttime escapade. He found her easily as she was walking slowly, almost tentatively.

She was hunched over slightly, the darkness of the night weighing down on her slim form. Her arms were entwined protectively about her person and Chrom was struck by how perfectly fragile she looked. The sight stirred his innate desire to protect, but instead of running to embrace her as he might have if he knew her better, he simply walked closer, waiting for her to notice his presence.

When she didn't, he placed a hand on her shoulder but quickly withdrew it when she tensed and let out a pained gasp. She whirled around, dagger drawn and poking into the sensitive skin at the base of his neck. Despite her threatening stance, her eyes were wide with fear as if she were the one with a blade at her throat. The hand that held the knife was shaking as well and Chrom gently grasped her wrist to lower the weapon. Ashe did not fight him and once he had let go, she returned the dagger to its hiding place within her cloak.

"Sorry," she said quickly, wringing her hands.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have snuck up on you," said Chrom, watching her closely. She was clearly on edge. "Did you remember something?" he ventured.

Ashe shook her head firmly. "I-no, it was just a bad dream. I thought a walk might help me clear my head."

"I understand, but it's not safe for you to wander off alone in the middle of the night; would you mind if I tagged along?" he asked.

"You should get some sleep," said Ashe.

"So should you," Chrom countered.

Not wanting to argue, Ashe simply shook her head and continued to walk, silently giving Chrom permission to follow, not that he was waiting for it. He planned to keep an eye on her from the moment he'd seen her small hunched form plodding along.

They walked for a few moments in silence before Chrom spoke. "What was your dream about?"

"I don't remember," Ashe lied.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Chrom sighed and ran a hand through his choppy navy locks. It wasn't hard to tell that the mysterious tactician wasn't telling him all she knew, but Chrom decided not to push her. He hardly knew her and she hardly knew herself, he highly doubted she'd appreciate a stranger prying into what personal affairs she had. Nonetheless, he hated seeing the same woman who had been so brilliantly vivacious just a few hours earlier reduced to almost a shell of her former self.

"I can't imagine what it would be like to lose my memories," he began uncertainly, "but I can imagine it would be easier to handle if I had someone I could trust by my side...I'm not saying you need to trust me, but if you ever need someone to talk to or anything, I'd be really happy if you came to me."

Chrom felt thoroughly ridiculous now. He had no doubt that he was blushing seeing as his cheeks felt as if they were on fire, but he hoped the darkness of the night might disguise it a bit.

Ashe did not respond for a few seconds and Chrom began to panic, considering whether or not he should apologize for his incredible boldness in assuming that not only did she need someone to rely on, but also that person should be him. However, just before he could voice his regret, Ashe spoke.

"Thank you, Chrom," she said, her voice soft and melodious. She gave him a genuinely warm smile and he found himself grinning stupidly in return. If she'd noticed his blush or his absurdly pleased smile, he was at least thankful she said nothing.

The two basked in the simple tenderness of the moment, which came to an abrupt end all too soon. A large boom akin to thunder echoed throughout the woods, scaring hoards of birds from trees and thousands of animals out of their burrows. The forest life paid no attention to Chrom or Ashe in their terror-induced rush to escape a danger yet unknown to the two humans.

The ground itself began to fracture and then break completely, shifting the earth and jolting Ashe to the side. Chrom caught her arm to steady her but proceeded to push her in another direction as a large crack began to open beneath their feet, revealing rivers of molten lava beneath the seemingly innocuous forest. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the overheated air and Chrom used his cape to cover his mouth. He turned to see that Ashe had recovered from his violent shove and was using her cloak to do the same as him.

He pointed in the direction of the campsite and began running, not needing to turn to know the lava had risen and ignited much of the woody area. The heat at his back was becoming almost unbearable and his eyes watered incessantly from the smoke.

He'd never heard of a catastrophe like the one he was fleeing from now, save for in old folk tales that spoke of a great and terrible war fought between two enormous dragons that left the world scorched and scarred for many millennia. It seemed ridiculous at the time, a story told only by the craziest and foulest of people, yet Chrom was beginning to believe there indeed could exist a version of hell on earth if his burning and crumbling surroundings were anything to go by.

Ashe followed Chrom's lead blindly, gazing about herself in horror. To her right, she spotted the same tranquil pond that she and Frederick had used the day before. The wildflowers were black and withered and the water now looked murky, reflecting only the terrifying blood red flames that licked at the remaining greenery around it.

They ran until Ashe's lungs burned with the need for air and Chrom, noticing her labored breathing, finally stopped. His eyes scanned their surroundings warily. They had somehow passed the camp in their rush to escape the onslaught of destruction and now stood in an area with only a few trees and a ground of pure dirt. There were few things the rapidly spreading fire could burn here; they were safe.

Ashe caught her breath while Chrom watched the lush forest go up in flames. Suddenly, a large crystalline eye appeared in the smoky sky, just above the line of burning treetops. He heard Ashe gasp next to him and nearly gasped himself when the eyes opened and began to produce odd misshapen blobs that resembled something that may have once been human.

As they swarmed closer, Chrom gripped Falchion's hilt and steeled himself for battle. Up close, deformed the creatures were hideous. Stitches marred their corpse like bodies and a foul gaseous substance oozed out of their unsown mouths. Worst of all, there were empty sockets where their eyes might have been that shone with an angry red light.

A group of the monstrosities spotted the two Shepherds and charged, wielding shoddy axes with reckless abandon. Back to back, Ashe and Chrom fought off the swarm, slicing through metal and rotting flesh. If their appearances weren't enough to prove themselves nonhuman, then their ability to continue fighting without a care even when their limbs lay around them in the dirt.

The two were deeply engaged in the fight, wordlessly covering each other's blind spots, when a shriek of terror ripped through the night and overpowered even the metallic sounds of battle. Much to his horror, Chrom recognized that the shriek had come from his sister. With renewed vigor, Chrom cut through the remaining foes and took off in the direction of his sister's cry.

Chrom's sudden disappearance left Ashe fighting two of the creatures alone. Much like the bandits, the eyesores were not particularly skilled, but they made up for their lack of expertise with brute strength and limitless vigor. Ashe found herself constantly on the defensive, just barely avoiding dismemberment with every weighty swipe of an axe. In a moment of desperation, Ashe plunged her dagger into the chest of one of them, knowing she'd left her left side exposed.

Sure enough, metal bit into the skin of her upper thigh and Ashe groaned in pain. The wound was not fatal, but it would limit her movement significantly. Gritting her teeth, Ashe ground out a thunder spell and killed the last creature before collapsing on the ground, clutching at the bleeding gash on her leg.

Conscious of the danger she was in alone and injured, Ashe whispered a small prayer to what ever deities were listening that she be granted the strength to push on. With great effort, she managed to shove herself off the ground, but the pain in her leg was too intense for her to remain standing and she collapsed once more, utterly exhausted.

**The phrase 'like pulling teeth' comes to mind when I think of how difficult it was for me to write this chapter. I kept loosing inspiration, but it is finally done! Huge thanks to Knowledgeseeker66 for the idea for a nightmare sequence. I really enjoyed writing that part! Also, I am absolutely still taking pairing requests, so please, tell me your favorites! Thank you to everyone who took the time to review my story! Special shout out to Sascha-Gero, whose review made me laugh.**

**Please Review and have a wonderful week!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait, please enjoy the newest chapter! It is likely riddled with errors this time around (more so than usual) but hopefully the pacing is okay!**

Chrom dashed into a clearing and spotted his sister, cowering against a tree. One of the hideous monsters stalked towards her while she feebly brandished her healing staff, hoping for some protection. In the back of his head, Chrom wondered why Frederick was not here to protect his sister as was his job, but when the creature started to bring its axe down on Lissa, all thoughts save for keeping his dear sister alive went out of his head.

"Lissa!" he shouted, charging forward to kill the creature. Already he could tell he was not fast enough. He cursed himself for wandering off in search of Ashe. If he had simply stayed, then his sister's life wouldn't be threatened for the second time in so many days.

All at once, the axe made contact, his sister cried out, and Chrom yelled in anguish. Time seemed to slow as the blue-haired prince realized with equal parts joy and confusion that Lissa had been spared a fatal blow and a masked figure was currently parrying the axe-wielding horror. Relief swept through him when he realized Lissa was safe, but his respite was short lived. The masked man was struggling to hold the creature's blade at bay and looked as if his defense might break at any moment.

"Help!" he commanded through gritted teeth.

Chrom gripped his sword tighter and deftly cleaved the monster in two. As the masked lowered his blade, it caught the moonlight for a moment and gleamed silver and gold. For a moment, Chrom was sure that blade was his own house's sacred sword, Falchion, but one quick glance to the sword in his right hand, dripping with a foul purple substance, assured him otherwise. Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Lissa's mysterious savior sheathed his sword and turned away from the siblings without a word. The princess broke out of her terror-induced trance, trickles of icy sweat pooling at her temples. Within seconds she was on her feet, ready to embrace the man who had saved her life. Ordinarily she would not be so bold as to touch a stranger so familiarly but the joy of being alive after her life had flashed in front of her eyes not once, but twice in the last twenty-four hours overrode her usual sensibilities.

A muscled arm collided with her stomach and she stumbled back, surprised to see her brother glaring at the masked man, arm raised to keep her away from him. Lissa was about to protest but Chrom shot her a quick look that assured her that this was not the time to argue.

"I appreciate your saving my sister, but you arrived with those creatures, didn't you?" asked Chrom, his voice firm and authoritative. His tone made her feel small and weak. He only spoke this way when he needed to command the respect of all those around him. She'd dubbed it his 'lord' voice, and while it was comforting to know her brother, the current heir to the Ylissean Throne, could demand and obtain respect instantly by simply changing his manner of speaking, it made her feel more distant from him as well. By some cruel trick of the gods, Lissa's eyes landed on her brother's Brand of the Exalt, the mark that affirmed his royal status and simultaneously put hers into question.

Her masked savior did not respond or even acknowledge a question had been asked. He stood stock-still, facing away from the two royal siblings. His choppy locks appeared as black as the night and the mask he wore stood out harshly against his pale face. He was slender and on the short side as well. In fact, if Lissa hadn't seen his strength herself just moments earlier she would've doubted he could even hold a sword.

While Lissa, hardly a seasoned warrior, saw frailty in the masked man's appearance, Chrom saw speed. All the strength in the world meant nothing if the target were too quick to be hit. Judging by his earlier performance, this man was fairly adept at using his small stature to his advantage and had the power to back it up. His technique-or at least what little he'd seen of it-was oddly familiar. The fluidness of his motions complimented the firmness of his stance in a way he would've thought impossible.

The sound of rapidly approaching hooves filled the puzzled young lord's ears and he turned his head, letting the masked man out of his sight, to see Frederick gallop into the clearing with a slumped figure on the back of his horse. It took Chrom a moment to realize that slumped figure was Ashe and then only seconds more to realize that she'd been hurt undoubtedly because of his untimely exit.

Horror at his own actions eclipsed all other thought. He'd asked her to trust him and the first thing he'd done after that was abandon her in the middle of a fight, leaving her to fend for herself.

He was at her side in moments, easing her off the horse and calling for Lissa to heal her. A strip of cloth, which Chrom dully recognized as a part of her cloak was wound tightly above the gory gash in her leg. Her left pant leg had been pushed above the cut and Chrom cringed at the garish sight of the blood that had run down and coated her lower legs, now beginning to crust over slightly.

Frederick was hurriedly explaining that he'd awoken to the sight of the giant crystalline eye in the sky and set out to find all three of them upon noticing their absence. He'd seen Ashe fall and had been the one to tie the tourniquet in hopes of staunching the blood flow.

Chrom, overcome by guilt, was only half listening to the knight as he inwardly prayed for the young woman's safety. He did not want her death on his conscious.

Lissa, now in her area of expertise, roughly shoved her brother to the side after he didn't respond to her first few requests for him to move away. Politeness be damned, she had a life to save! She inspected the cut for a moment and sighed with relief when she realized it was not as deep as she first thought. The downside to this though was that the blade had nicked a vein, but not gone completely through. In her studies, Lissa had learned that when a vein was cut clean through, the body would cut off blood flow through it, however if it were cut partially-as in this case-it would continue to bleed. Regardless of the risks, tying a tourniquet was extremely dangerous, so she was thankful when Frederick mentioned that it'd only been about fifteen minutes since he'd tied it.

After nimbly removing the coarse piece of fabric, Lissa wielded her staff and closed her eyes, concentrating on knitting the skin back together as the staff channeled her internal magic into the wound. To those observing, the staff glowed a soothing oceanic blue that illuminated Ashe's injury. Within a few minutes, Lissa finished her healing and did her best to gently wipe some of the blood away so she could apply a homemade vulnerary that would ease most of the discomfort that came with having the body mended. Staves were indeed useful for situations such as these, but ideally the body would heal on its own because unnaturally speeding up the healing process puts a lot of stress on the patient.

Within a minute after Lissa had finished, Ashe's long eyelashes fluttered and she stared up into the faces of the three Shepherds, marveling at the familiarity of the scene. Thankfully, this time she was not quite so confused. She moved to sit up and winced at the dull throbbing in her upper leg.

Chrom was at her side in seconds, keeping her from moving. One look at the way his midnight blue eyes remained fixed on her wound, which looked to have been healed nicely though the blood had yet to be cleaned off, told her that the blue-haired Shepherd was in the process of blaming himself for her injury.

Shrugging off his hands clamped on her slight shoulders, Ashe pushed herself to her feet, doing her best to ignore the soreness.

"What are you doing?" asked Chrom immediately, "you need to rest!"

Ashe shook her head. "I'm fine, just a little sore," she assured him before turning to Lissa, "thank you for healing me."

"No need to thank me, but Chrom's right, maybe you should rest for a bit. We don't what happened before we found you and we don't want to put any unnecessary stress on your body."

"Soldiers with much worse wounds are healed in battle and continue fighting without a care in the world; I'm fine," she repeated. She had never actually seen such a situation as far as she knew, but it seemed like that right thing to say to assuage their unrest.

Frederick nodded in agreement at her words. She was glad he was siding with her and suddenly the question of how she had gotten to this clearing while passed out popped into her mind. As if reading her thoughts, Frederick's hard brown eyes shifted to the form of his horse, obediently waiting a few feet away from the rest of the group.

Ashe opened her mouth to thank him as well but another pointed look from the knight assured her that he understood the sentiment and did not need or want it voiced.

Chrom looked like he wanted to debate her wellbeing further when an earsplitting shriek split the thin night air. It was the same noise—a sort of horrific battle cry—some of the creatures made when they first attacked Ashe and Chrom.

Ashe drew her blade instantly and Frederick climbed back onto his horse, gripping the reigns in anticipation. Lissa caught on quickly and mounted the horse behind Frederick with an air of grim determination.

"Ashe you're not fit to fight; you could get seriously injured," said Chrom firmly.

"Make sure you have my back then," Ashe replied. Chrom would get over his unnecessary guilt sooner or later. Besides it was not as if she blamed him for his actions. If she had to choose between a complete stranger and her family, she'd make the same choice. She was rationalizing his actions in hopes of rationalizing her own reactions.

She forced herself to think rationally and ignore the painful desire to find someone who would put her before all else. It was a selfish wish and she regretted thinking about such trivial matters right before what was sure to be a battle, but, as emotions are by nature irrational, hers were not swayed by rational thought. In the back of her mind she wondered if she had always been a person with an intense longing for unconditional love-that's what it boiled down to-and had never received or she was so used to having it that now that she'd lost her memories her subconscious realized the sudden deprivation and her conscious mind was affected. She hoped it was the latter, though regardless of which it was, the fact remained that she was on her own now.

As the ghoulish cacophony of what was undoubtedly a large group of the horrid creatures grew louder in Ashe's ears along with the sound of her heart, pounding once again with excitement, she silently vowed to dedicate her life to finding someone who knew her or at least recognized her and could possibly point her in the direction of a family that missed her dearly.

A hopeful little smile tugged at her lips. Yes, she'd find them and she would know love once more.

* * *

Chrom followed after Ashe. Whatever argument he'd had poised on the tip of his tongue died when she ran off after Frederick and Lissa. Seeing a person hurt because of his own incompetence reignited his intense over-protective streak, which usually he did his best to control. He hated watching his friends run into battle, knowing full well there was a chance they wouldn't come back. Accepting Lissa as a Shepherd had been particularly difficult for him, but Frederick, confident in her abilities and his own, had assured Chrom of her safety.

With renewed vigor, he easily caught up to Ashe, quick on her feet as she was, and gave her a pointed look that promised a lengthy discussion regarding her rashness. For now though, he would do all he could to prevent her from being harmed further in the battle.

The monstrosities swarmed the Shepherds and Chrom fought the desire to cover his nose. The smell of decaying bodies was overpowering and the gaseous substance that leaked from the creatures' mouths was as irritating to the eyes as it was to the nose. His eyes burned and it was all he could do to just keep swinging his sword, cleaving through the small army of monsters.

Every now and then he'd catch sight of his sister and Frederick through the black smog, looking similarly irritated but unharmed for the most part. The two stuck together and worked out of system of Lissa keeping an eye out in the back, occasionally swatting at anything that got too close while Frederick cut through the creatures in range of his silver lance.

In spite of their constant arguments, the two Shepherds complimented each other well on the battlefield and were doing a great job of thinning enemy numbers. Chrom wished he could say the same for his partner and himself.

As he'd noted earlier, Ashe was extremely nimble to make up for the lesser strength her small stature allowed. This was not to say that she did not possess power, as he would be the first to attest to the fatal gashes she ripped in enemies with her dagger, but she clearly relied on speed. Though this time, her quickness was more of a hindrance than a help when it came to their teamwork. She kept darting away from him, leaving him surrounded by enemies and constantly rushing after her. He was not sure if she was conscious of her uncooperative actions but it was rapidly angering him. Battles were a matter of life and death, which was to say that they were intense enough without having to deal with a flighty and unreliable ally.

He parried a rusty sword that almost sliced through his neck and growled with rage. Chrom was not nearly as quick to anger as some of his fellow Shepherds, but he was indubitably closer to hot-tempered than calm on a scale of temperament. The absolute chaos of the battle did nothing to aid what little grasp he had on a composed state of mind. He swung Falchion with wild abandon, hacking through the creatures much quicker now and even getting a glimpse of Ashe through the mess of bodies from time to time. He was much more sloppy now though. Had Ashe stayed by his side, he would have had some protection, but her absence combined with his rash actions, growing more uncontrolled by the second, opened up numerous holes in his defense. He remained unwounded by luck and lack of intelligence on the enemy's side, though eventually one of the creatures would strike in the right place and he would be felled.

Ashe, who had been caught up in the thrill of battle once more, hardly noticed she'd left Chrom in the dust. The hot, sticky blood of her enemies spattered her body with every blow she landed and she couldn't help but revel in the feeling. Her eyes glimmered with an almost inhuman savagery in the light produced by the thunder spells she cast. Her body flowed through the thrusts and parries just as surely as blood flowed from the wounds inflicted upon her enemies. The stress of battle reopened her own injury and the red blood mingled with the oozing purple blood of the creatures as it ran down her leg, but the pain only added to her adrenaline-induced frenzy and the pure, unadulterated ecstasy she felt. She hissed in pain and pleasure when one of the creature's arrows whizzed by her head, nicking her ear slightly. She was blind to everything save the wild sensations produced by the slaughter. She was ferocity incarnate.

Somewhere in the back of her head, her desire to live pulsed like a second heartbeat, but it was easily drowned out by all the other feelings rushing through her mind and body. She couldn't fathom any of the ideas that more sensible part of her mind thought up. Rejoin her comrades? Bandage her wound? How could she find time for such inane things? She'd be safer, sure, but what was the significance of something as lackluster as safety when compared to the excitement of walking that thin, thin line between life and death. _This_ was living.

Ashe fought on as if possessed until by some cruel trick of fate her vision, which had been clouded by smoke and rusted metal, cleared and she saw a lance glitter in the moonlight as it was thrust forwards, aiming for the blue-haired Shepherd's unguarded side. She might have screamed out a warning but her voice was lost easily among the clamor of steel striking steel.

Her bloodlust vanished as quickly as it emerged. A mixture of horror and guilt took over her body as she watched the sharp weapon get ever closer to piercing its target. This was her fault. His death would be _her fault_. These were the only people she knew in the world and she was letting one die because of her own foolishness.

Suddenly though, the lance halted just centimeters away from breaking skin and fell to the ground. The monster wielding the lance was rapidly dissolving into a mess of purple blood and black smoke, an arrow having pierced its head and swiftly ended its life.

Ashe refused to take a second to feel relief as she hurtled through the thinning army of the creatures to reach Chrom's side. Heat was radiating off him in waves and she wondered if he even noticed that she'd returned. He was lost in a frenzy of his own, but she was there to protect him now.

Apparently, he had noted her sudden reappearance, because he easily deflected a blow from a mace that was aiming for her. He even glanced over his shoulder at her for a moment, checking if she was still there before returning to the fight. The battle raged on and with the use of a few abandoned forts, behind which they were able to take shelter occasionally, the enemy's numbers began to dwindle. It struck Ashe as odd that there was such a sudden improvement, as things had been looking pretty grim for a while. The Shepherds were undoubtedly more skilled than the creatures, but they were only four people…Ashe thought back to the arrow that had saved Chrom's life. It wasn't rusty and jagged like the arrows of the creatures, but a clean, sharp steel.

She hadn't seen anyone else, but then again, she hadn't seen Frederick and Lissa since the battle began. That was worrisome in itself, but she trusted the two to hold their own. Perhaps it was too much to hope for, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made that another party had joined the battle. Her mind raced. If there was indeed another ally in the midst of this battle then they could finish the creatures off before any more damage was sustained. On cue, her leg throbbed and she bit her lip to hold back a whimper. Bloodlust could only take her so far; she was pushing the limits of what her body could handle.

Praying she would be heard this time, she yelled out, "Frederick, if you can hear me, maintain a line between the brick fort and the fort with a lion on the flag; other party, if you're willing to help, meet up at the brick fort!"

Chrom looked puzzled but help Ashe fight her way to the relative safety of the aforementioned brick fort. The cobblestone walls of the fort surrounded them on three sides, allowing them to focus solely on the enemies coming from the open side.

"What's your plan?" Chrom asked shortly, stabbing one of the creatures through the stomach.

"Don't have one unless our mystery ally shows up," she replied.

"So we just wait?" asked Chrom, incredulous.

"Thirty seconds, then we'll try to regroup with Frederick," Ashe insisted. She was now certain that someone else was fighting the creatures and could only hope that they would be open to cooperate with them directly to combat a common enemy.

Time ticked by slowly as Ashe counted the seconds in her head. She wasn't sure if the third party had even heard her, much less if they were willing to collaborate. She desperately hoped they would show up, but if they did not, she would be hard pressed to come up with another plan.

Precisely twenty-three seconds after she started counting, the sound of a horse neighing loudly drowned out the clamor of battle as an immense chestnut brown horse galloped towards their fort, knocking over the horrible creatures in the process. The rider let out a ferocious growl and stabbed one of the monsters that got too close through the eye with a lance. It took Ashe a moment to realize the rider was a woman due to her short-cropped red hair and similarly red bulky armor. She whooped as the creature dissolved and shook the remaining blood off her weapon before subjecting another one of the monsters to the same fate.

She glanced around and caught sight of them, her eyes widening. "Captain Chrom!" she exclaimed, moving closer. Ashe put two and two together immediately, figuring that the woman was a Shepherd. If that were the case, then they were in luck as it meant the woman not only had battle experience, but would also be much more trusting than a random stranger.

"Sully?" Chrom questioned, looking puzzled.

"Oh, damn, if I knew you were here I woulda tried to meet up sooner. I was just patrolling the roads when I saw the forest fire and rushed over. These ugly bastards attacked me on sight! What are we dealing with here, captain?" she asked. She caught sight of Ashe next to him and her dark red-she was definitely seeing a trend here-eyes at her. "And who the hell are you?"

"She's a friend, Sully," Chrom replied, "were any of the other Shepherds with you?"

"Huh? No, just me. I didn't think it was necessary to bring anyone along just to do a bit of night patrolling," she said with a grimace, not bothering to ask any further questions about the unfamiliar young woman. "Kinda wish I'd dragged Stahl's lazy ass out of the dining hall now. Speaking of other Shepherds though, where are Lissa and prof?"

"They're in the middle of the fight if they heard me," Ashe said, casting yet another thunder spell to keep the monster at bay. She wondered a little at the nickname she assumed belonged to Frederick but ultimately decided such trivial questions were best left for later. "I have a plan to get rid of these things, can-

"What do I need to do?" asked Sully.

Ashe smiled a bit. She appreciated her candor. "It's a simple divide and conquer type plan. Can you-

"HOLD!" shouted a voice, surprising the three Shepherds. A man with peculiar bluish-grey hair emerged from the chaos. He was dressed in noble clothing that was ridiculously out of place on the grimy battlefield, yet there was not a speck of dirt on him. "Did some fair maiden call for her gallant prince?" He caught sight of the group and gasped. "Alas, not one fair maiden, but two! How improper of me to keep such beauty waiting!"

"Beat it, creep, this isn't some hoity-toity tea party," Sully barked, stabbing one of the creatures and ending its life for emphasis. She didn't have time to deal with some pampered noble who thought he could play hero.

"I should hope not, else I would not have brought this," the man replied, brandishing his bow proudly before pulling back the string and killing a creature with an arrow that was identical to the one Ashe had seen earlier.

Sick of the banter, Ashe spoke quickly, "Can you help?" She was exasperated and in pain. She needed to end this battle soon. Chrom was sporting a nasty cut on his left arm that seemed to be hindering him a fair amount; she didn't doubt he felt the same.

"The dashing and noble Virion is at your service, fair lady. Whether it be to rid this tranquil forest of these garish beings or keep you and your companions safe from harm, your Virion shall triumph against all odds and all he would ask in return is your lovely had in marriage," the flamboyant man announced.

Ashe blanched. "You-I-wait, what?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

Chrom recovered from his own shock much quicker than the young woman next to him. "Do you see that we're in the middle of battle right now?" asked the blue-haired prince incredulously.

"The heart does not care for setting; it sees what it desires and pursues with all the fervor in the world. I am but it's humble follower, destined to fall prey to the love's fickle ways," he proclaimed, "nevertheless, I understand that under the circumstances, you may to sort out the emotions running rampant in your no doubt rapidly beating heart, and so I shall aid you in your fight and wait with baited breath for your sweet answer."

Sully scoffed and Chrom made a similar noise of disapproval but Ashe, having collected her thoughts, spoke carefully so as not to offend the strange man. He seemed to possess a fair amount of skill with his bow and she was loath to waste an opportunity to tip the scales more in their favor. "Thank you for your…consideration. I'd be more than happy to give you my answer when the situation is less dire."

Chrom's mouth fell open once more and Ashe shot him a cautionary look, assuring him the best course of action at this time was to remain silent.

Ashe surveyed the three in front of her for a moment, knowing it was best to keep people in pairs to allow for greater flexibility than a large group and more protection than simply going alone. She explained as much and the three all nodded in agreement.

Understanding that time was of the essence, she considered her options quickly. Chrom and Sully seemed to know each other and Virion seemed…agreeable at the least; she doubted he would reject partnering up with any woman, though Sully had already shown distaste for the archer.

Logically, it was a simple decision. Chrom would ride with Sully while she and this Virion character stuck together. It really was simple, but Ashe found herself hesitating. It was an odd sort of gut feeling that she herself would work best with Chrom. He'd said she could trust him, and in spite of recent issues, she found herself wanting to do just that. In those short moments when they weren't deserting one another, they had actually worked well together. Besides that, she felt guilty for leaving him in the first half of the battle. He'd had a legitimate reason to abandon her-his sister's _life_ was on the line-but she had just been petty.

In the end, she wanted the chance to prove she was someone worth trusting as well.

Before Ashe could speak, the odd archer piped up. "If I may make a suggestion, I would propose that I lend my peerless abilities with a bow to…my most sincere apologies, I do not know your name, dear bird."

Much to Ashe's surprise, he was addressing the fiery red-haired woman. Apparently, she was surprised as well. "Bird? What the hell? Are you talking about me?" she demanded.

"But of course," Virion affirmed.

"What's it to you?" she asked.

"I harbor no ill intentions, milady. I simply desire to know the sweet name of the woman I am to entrust with my life," he explained.

Sully still appeared baffled and Chrom actually had to block the sword of one of the creatures that swung at her, distracted as she was. "Er, Sully, but-

"Sully! What a gorgeous name! It holds much beauty, but at the same time expresses a certain strength of character and of body!" he exclaimed.

The woman looked slightly uncomfortable with the praise. "Look, ruffles-Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Virion had ignored her and deftly hauled himself onto her horse, surprising the cavalier.

She probably would've thrown him off if she weren't busy keeping the monsters at bay. Instead she settled for gnashing her teeth and threatening bodily harm. The man remained unfazed by her threats and Sully turned to see that her captain looked too exasperated to weigh in on the issue.

With a sigh, she realized that Chrom and the woman next to him had been fighting longer than she had. They needed her help, not her lip. "Hey, uh, lady, what do you need us to do?" she asked, feeling embarrassed of her own behavior now.

The white-haired woman looked confused for a second before jumping into action. "Ah, can you to circle around the group of enemies Frederick has sectioned off and kill the creatures on the outside? Chrom and I will fight through the center. After we've incapacitated one group, we'll do the same to the other," she explained.

Sully nodded and galloped off with the odd archer on the back of her horse, looking for the edge of the monster army. The weird man-Virion-was loosing arrow after arrow that seemed to always pierce their intended target while she tore through the bodies of nearby creatures with her lance.

They went on like this for a while in relative silence before Sully finally asked the question that had been bothering her, "Ruffles, why'd you volunteer to ride with me? I thought you were…y'know, hot on that girl with Captain Chrom. I mean, you even went and proposed on the spot!"

"Dear Sully, are you jealous? Even such an ugly emotion looks becoming on your beautiful face! I would extend such an offer to you as well, if it'd please you," he said dramatically.

"C'mon, quit joking," said Sully with a snort, "you can't marry two people.

"Quite a shame really, there are so many lovely women in the world, but only one noble Virion! But alas, _that_ lovely woman was going to refuse me."

"What? You think the woman you proposed to moments after meeting would say 'no'?" asked Sully, her tone laden with sarcasm, "how'd you figure that out?"

"Did I forget to mention your Virion is a highly skilled fortune teller?" asked the archer with a haughty smile.

"I shoulda known you'd be one of _those_ kooks."

"I resent that; I am neither kook, nor thief!" declared Virion righteously.

"Thief? Who said anything about a thief?" asked Sully, laughing.

Virion didn't bother to respond, slightly put off by her laughter. A part of him wished he'd insisted to stay with the snowy-haired beauty he proposed too, but woefully, he simply had too good a heart. He'd never try to steal another man's woman.

**So those fight scenes, yeah? Did you forget they were fighting towards the end there? I didn't. No siree! If the lack of action is bothering you during the more dialogue heavy parts, just add 'and then (insert random character name here) stabbed a monster in the stomach.' It's basically what I was doing! **

**All joking aside, you guys have been giving me so much support that you're making me feel like a bit of an arse for taking so long to get these chapters out! They really do motivate me to put down my DS and open up Word though! Anyway, I'm glad to finally have two new characters to write about now. I fear the two may be a little OOC. I personally adore Virion as a character, but I think I give him too much credit sometimes. I like to think he plays the part of foolish noble/womanizer, but is actually brilliant and conniving. However, I fear a few of his lines were too modest or simply too awkward. I spent hours saying them aloud to myself as I was walking down the street, just to test how they sounded and garnered quite a few odd looks, so I hope he sounded somewhat natural, else my embarrassment was for naught.  
**

**Sully may seem a little OOC as well because she wasn't constantly threatening to pound Virion's face in. My version of Sully is a bit more insecure than the game lets on. I think her lack of womanly qualities bothers her more often than we see but I don't want to write long paragraphs of angst about it. Instead, I just made her uncomfortable listening to Virion declare her beautiful and so on. The way I see it, if you constantly got complimented for something you didn't think you were, you'd get pretty uncomfortable as well.**

**Thank you all for your support and continue to suggest pairings/give feedback!**

**Stay tuned for even more characters in chapter 6!**


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